


St Patrick's Day Traditions

by darkkwater



Series: Holidays [4]
Category: Numb3rs (TV)
Genre: Angst and Porn, Angsty Schmoop, Brother/Brother Incest, Brothers, Literal Sleeping Together, M/M, Pre-Canon, Quickies, Quiet Sex, St. Patrick's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-01
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:07:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21628846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkkwater/pseuds/darkkwater
Summary: Don takes a break from Fugitive Recovery to celebrate a Holiday with his little brother.
Relationships: Charlie Eppes/Don Eppes
Series: Holidays [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1243343
Comments: 1
Kudos: 20





	St Patrick's Day Traditions

**St Patrick's Day Traditions-**

"Charlie." 

Charlie stirred in his bed, then turned over and went back to sleep. 

"Charlie." 

Charlie opened his eyes but his bedroom was dark. He'd heard someone. Fear shot through him. "Who's there?" he demanded loudly. 

"Shh, hey, it's me. It's Don." 

"Don?" 

"Shh, don't wake up Mom and Dad." 

"Why, what's wrong?" 

"Nothing. I mean, not really. Just…" 

Charlie reached for his lamp and flicked it on. He blinked against the flare until he could see Don, standing by his bedroom door. 

"What's going on?" Charlie said, rubbing his eyes. 

"We were in the area," Don said. 

"We?" 

"Coop and me, but he's back at the hotel." 

Charlie turned and looked at his clock. "It's 2:16 AM!" 

"I know, I'm sorry, I just…" Don rubbed his face. He looked tired, strung out, shadowed. 

"Are you okay?" 

"Yeah, sure." 

"Then why are you-" 

"Can I sit down?" Don asked. 

"Of course." 

Don closed the door then came and sat on the edge of Charlie's bed. 

"Hi," Don said with a faint smile. "Sorry to startle you. I…I didn't want to miss another Holiday." 

"Holi- What day is it?" 

"St. Patrick's Day." 

"Oh, right, it's past midnight." 

"I haven't seen you since Halloween." 

"I noticed," Charlie said. He didn't like Don's new job in FBI Fugitive Recovery. Charlie hardly saw him. Let alone get a chance for those snatched moments of intense sex that they limited to Holidays. 

Don said, "I missed Thanksgiving and Christmas." 

"And Hanukkah, New Year's Day, and Valentine's Day." 

"It's just that fugitives let their guard down around Holidays. They have to see their families, girlfriends, stuff like that. It's good time to catch them." 

Charlie grunted. Don had given that excuse to the family about why he couldn't be home since October. Five months was too long to not see him. Don hadn't given Charlie any more personal excuses for why he'd miss their intimate Holiday celebrations. Charlie had multiple available casual lovers right now, men and women who gave him plenty of sex, but it wasn't the same. 

"Why are you here?" Charlie grumbled. 

"I hoped… I thought…" Don put his hand on Charlie's calf and Charlie was startled to see tears in Don's eyes. 

"Everything okay?" 

"Can we talk later?" Don said. "I've missed you." 

"Don…" 

"I need this," Don said hoarsely. "I need…you." 

Charlie's chest tightened. Any resentment he had about Don's absence faded. He asked softly, "But can we? Does this count? There's not a party, no other people around." 

Don gave him a crooked smile. "Mom and Dad are just next door." 

"And Dad isn't sleeping that well with his back pain right now." 

"Sorry to hear that. But that means we aren't breaking our rules." 

"Okay." Charlie's body started to throb awake. 

Don flashed him an eager smile, looking a little like the old Don again, and Charlie grinned back. 

Charlie tossed off his blankets. "Let me go to the bathroom and check that Dad isn't wandering the halls. Hang on." 

Don stepped out of sight and Charlie opened his door. He walked down the hall and listened at his parent's doorway. Yes, there was his father's heavy snoring. Charlie went to use the bathroom. 

Charlie had been mentally preparing himself for weeks for Don to miss another Holiday. What they'd done in the past to celebrate St. Patrick's Day was to go out to an Irish pub together and have sex in the bathroom. It was risky and dangerous but it fit the strange limiting criteria that they had developed to keep this thing between them contained. By limiting it to Holidays and only when other people are around, they'd managed to keep it fun and light. They'd started out by kissing when Charlie was eighteen and added increasingly sexual acts one by one, as well as Holidays one by one. They were up to twelve Holidays they 'celebrated', though the dates were clustered around the end of the year. 

This year on St. Patrick's Day Charlie had expected to be alone, so he'd planned on participate in some risky and dangerous behavior of his own. There was a notorious gay bar downtown that he was getting himself mentally geared up to go to - and see if there was dark-haired man that would take him into the bathroom and fuck him in Don's place. 

Charlie finished in the bathroom and quickly returned to his bedroom. His heart was pounding, his body throbbing with anticipation like it always did on Holidays. 

Back in his bedroom, Charlie shut and locked his door. "All clear." 

Don nodded and began to undress. Charlie followed suit. 

"Does Coop know you're here?" Charlie asked. 

"Naw," Don said. "He thinks I'm at some old girlfriend's place who doesn't mind a 2am booty call." 

"Well, he's not that wrong," Charlie said with a smile. 

Don smiled faintly back. 

Charlie pushed any other thoughts aside and focused on Don in front of him. Don was taking off his clothes and setting them on Charlie's desk. Charlie did his usual study of Don's body. He'd seen it throughout his life, but only on a sexual level since Don was twenty-three and playing in Minor League Baseball. At that time Don's body was the hard body of a professional athlete. When Don joined the FBI, he bulked up in a different way. But Charlie hadn't seen Don since Halloween, when they'd only managed a quick mutual handjob before a family dinner. The last time he'd seen Don's body was Labor Day. 

After almost a year of work in Fugitive Recovery, Don looked the worst Charlie could ever remember. He didn't look like he'd been eating well, sleeping well, or exercising. There were strain lines around his eyes and mouth that Charlie had never seen before. 

Then Don stepped into Charlie's arms and Charlie forgot all about anything but the here and now. 

Kissing urgently, their hands were all over each other as they sat down, then lay down on the bed. As always in the first few moments of action, they tried to inhale each other, climb inside each other's skin. Charlie finally pushed Don back so they could both suck in air. 

"We…have…time…" Charlie gasped. 

"Maybe," Don muttered. 

They returned to kissing, hands moving. Charlie's hand ran down Don's chest and wrapped around his cock. It was already hard, which didn't surprise Charlie. Don was always raring to go when a Holiday came around. Don's hand went immediately to Charlie's ass and began to squeeze. The message was clear - Don wouldn't be satisfied with just handjobs tonight. 

When Don's lips moved to kiss Charlie's neck, Charlie murmured, "I feel like I should at least be wearing a green top hat or painted with shamrocks." 

"I promise to have corned beef and hash and green beer later," Don said, between nibbles of Charlie's neck and shoulder. "Right now I'm focused on my favorite pot of gold." He ran his fingers in between Charlie's ass cheeks. 

"Is that what it is?" Charlie chuckled, relieved that there was at least some nod to the Holiday. Doing this on any random day was… hazardous. 

"Supplies still in the same place?" 

"Yeah." 

Don rolled off the bed and went to Charlie's desk. In the back of a drawer, hidden behind boxes of chalk, was their favorite lube and a box of condoms. Don pulled them out and returned quickly to the bed. His eyes were flashing with eagerness, even in the dim lamplight. 

Charlie rolled onto his stomach and Don's prep of his asshole was fast but thorough. 

"Lay on your back?" Don asked as he put on the condom. "Legs up?" 

Charlie followed instructions and Don climbed onto the bed on his knees. Sitting on his knees, he pulled Charlie's pelvis onto his lap. He positioned his cock then slowly impaled Charlie's ass on it. Charlie clenched his teeth tight to not make a sound but Don gave a loud moan. 

They both froze, but there was no response from outside. 

"Sorry," Don said more quietly. "You just feel so goddamned good." 

Charlie smiled happily and focused on relaxing his ass. The initial discomfort soon faded to the usual warm pleasure. 

Don began rocking his pelvis and pulling Charlie towards him. He quickly got into a rhythm. Charlie couldn't do much but lay there and enjoy it. His hands gripped the sheet underneath him. 

The bed swayed with Don's movements. Charlie had done what he could to make his bed as creak-free as possible, but there was a possibility that his parents might hear them. That strangely made him more comfortable - he and Don weren't breaking their rules, they were keeping this thing contained. 

Don shifted to just moving his pelvis and his hands ran over Charlie's frontside. His fingers tweaked Charlie's nipples then played with his cock. All the time, Don's eyes were fastened on Charlie with a searing intensity that Charlie had never seen before. It became too much and Charlie closed his eyes. 

After a moment, Don began to thrust harder. His hands on Charlie's body grew rough, urgent, the pull at Charlie's cock nearing pain. Charlie bit his lip and waited for Don to orgasm. 

Instead, Don stopped, his breathing harsh in the silent room. His hands running over Charlie's body gentled, and he even might have been trembling. 

Charlie opened his eyes, but Don's gaze was now on his own hands. He rubbed Charlie's stretched thighs and caressed his cock. 

"Don?" Charlie asked softly. "You okay?" 

"Of course," Don said. 

Before Charlie could say anything else, Don pulled out of his ass. He nudged Charlie until he was laying on his right side, his left knee bent. Don lay down behind him and pushed his cock back into Charlie's asshole. Don slid one hand underneath Charlie's chest and pulled Charlie close. With his other hand, he lightly gripped Charlie's cock. 

Don began slowly thrusting into Charlie as he stroked Charlie's cock, sending waves of pleasure through him. Charlie threaded his fingers through those of Don's free hand and Don rubbed his cheek against the back of Charlie's head. Don thrust and stroked steadily, working Charlie better than any other man had ever been able to do. Charlie pressed his lips together and held on. 

Abruptly, Don began to jerk hard on Charlie's cock. His breath was harsh in Charlie's ear. With a low whine, Don switched from even thrusts to pounding Charlie's ass. Pleasure crashed through Charlie until it burst out of his cock, at the same time he felt heat bloom in his ass. 

Don stroked Charlie through his orgasm as he emptied himself inside Charlie. They finished together, slowing in perfect rhythm. 

They held each other for a moment, breathing heavily. Then with a deep sigh, Don pulled out of Charlie and cleaned them both up. 

Charlie bit back his own sigh. It was over too soon, it always was. They had to get to it then hide the evidence. What would it be like to be able to take their time? He told himself that would make it boring, pedestrian, but didn't know if he believed it. 

Don hid his used condom inside Charlie's garbage can. He put his clothes on and Charlie did the same. Don finished getting dressed and went over to the door to listen. He shook his head. There wasn't any sound from the hallway. 

Charlie got back into bed, expecting Don to leave. Instead, Don turned off the light, climbed under the blanket with him, and took him in his arms. 

Surprised, Charlie was rigid for a second, then he relaxed into Don's embrace. He tucked himself under Don's arm and snuggled against his side. In the dark, he asked again, "Don, you okay?" 

After a long enough time that Charlie thought Don wouldn't reply, Don said. "I don't know." His cheek was against Charlie's hair. "This job is a lot harder than I expected. I'm really good at it, I am." 

"I bet you are," Charlie said firmly. 

"But it… disconnects you." Don sighed. "There's certainly no way to have a relationship, unless you go for your partners." 

"Do you?" Charlie asked. He'd never met Agent Fox but the one time he'd met Agent Cooper, he'd thought him handsome and magnetic. 

"Naw," Don said. "Just partners." 

"So… No sex?" 

Don gave a dry chuckle. "I didn't say that. Petey has fucked me a few times and Coop lets me give him a blowjob when we're both drunk. There've been women, of course. FBI groupies." 

"So you've been wanting some guy to fuck." 

Charlie felt Don stiffen. 

Don said, "Charlie, you're not just some guy to fuck." 

"I'm not?" 

"No, you're… You're my brother." 

"And some guy to fuck." Charlie didn't know why he was pushing it, maybe he hadn't let go of his resentment for those missed Holidays after all. 

"Charlie…" Don said. He was silent for a moment. Then he said, "In my job we spend a lot of time thinking about tethers - things that pull a fugitive, keep them somewhere. That in spite of knowing they shouldn't, they go back to. For most fugitives, it's certain people like family or lovers, but it can also be a date or a place or something they do like race-car driving or even a particular fast-food chain." 

"Okay." 

"So on this job you start thinking about your own tethers. Coop doesn't have any, as far as I can tell. Petey has a sister and some nieces and nephews and a thing about New Orleans. For me, it's my family and-If you ever say I said this to you, I'm going to deny it." 

"Umm…" 

"Mom and Dad are my tethers but not as much as you." 

"Me?" 

"Yeah. And even more with this Holiday thing we do." 

"So it's all about the sex." 

"No!" Don said, "It's not all about…" Don paused for what seemed like a long time, but was only a few breaths. When he spoke again, his tone had changed. "Sure, sure, it's all about the sex." 

Charlie frowned. That was the answer that he expected, but it felt hollow. 

They were quiet for a moment, then Charlie asked tentatively, "So I'll see you for Easter?" 

"I hope so," Don replied, then added, with forced-sounding levity, "Unless our next fugitive has a thing about Easter Egg Hunts." 

"Okay." Charlie lay in Don's arms, feeling like some sort of crossroads had just been reached and a path taken, without him being aware it was happening. He found Don's hand and squeezed it. "As a tether, I'll be here whenever you need me, Holiday or not." 

"Good." 

Charlie waited, but Don didn't say anything further. 

"Don, are you going to be alright?" Charlie asked at last. "You seem kind of… tired." 

"I'll be fine," Don said, but his arm around Charlie was uncomfortably tight. 

In spite of the discomfort, Charlie found himself drifting to sleep. He fought against it, but his eyes closed. 

When he awoke, Don was gone. Charlie checked the clock and it was 4:08am. He might have thought that Don's visit was a dream, but there was a faint smell of cum and Charlie's ass still felt wet and stretched. 

He wasn't sure how long Don had stayed after Charlie had fallen asleep. In fact, Charlie had the feeling that what had woken him up was Don leaving. Had Don fallen asleep as well, or had he just laid there for almost two hours, holding Charlie? 

Charlie shook his head. He'd been worried about Don's new job before. Now with seeing him his worry had gone through the roof. When Don had joined the FBI, Charlie had experienced mixed feelings. Charlie was concerned that it was dangerous and would make Don's life much more unpredictable. But he also knew that Don would be very good at it and that, with his brains, he was worth more than baseball. 

Don didn't know that Charlie was also becoming part of the intelligence community, with the NSA coming to him for increasingly classified projects. His security clearance was probably higher than Don's was. Charlie didn't know when he'd tell Don. Charlie would hopefully never have to reveal this to his parents, who had a very negative view of secretive government agencies. Maybe Charlie and Don would even cross paths in case one day. But Charlie had pictured Don starting out as an FBI agent in branch agency somewhere, preferably Los Angeles, not this complete disappearance required by Fugitive Recovery. 

Charlie turned onto his back and stared up into the darkness. It was St. Patrick's Day. Should he follow through on his plan to go to a gay bar tonight, looking for a hookup? Naw, he had no interest in that now. Tonight maybe he'd see if his parents wanted to eat some sort of faux-Irish food and watch the old movie, "Darby O'Gill and the Little People." His parents had no idea why, as an adult, Charlie had gotten into celebrating Holidays, but they wouldn't be surprised by his idea for a St. Patrick's Day dinner and movie. He sighed as he realized that he wouldn't be able to tell them that Don had even been in LA, unless Don came by later. Charlie doubted he would. Don and Agent Cooper were probably just passing through, on the trail of some fleeing fugitive. Charlie wondered if Don had manipulated the chase in any way to be in town this particular day. Was he really Don's tether? That gave him a warm feeling. 

Would Don also make 'being in the area' happen the next Holiday? Don had said he 'hoped so' but that could mean little when he was on a case. Easter wasn't until April this year. It felt so far away. In the past, their Easter celebrations had included fucking in Easter bunny costumes or sex in the garage while the Easter ham cooked. Once Charlie painted his balls in Easter egg colors. This year, if he saw Don at all, it would probably be a rushed encounter upstairs, little Holiday trappings involved. 

Charlie turned over on his pillow. He inhaled deeply and imagined he could smell Don's scent. He closed his eyes and whispered, "Happy St. Patrick's Day, Don. May the luck of the Irish be with you." 

He wasn't really sure what 'the luck of the Irish' meant, but he knew he wanted Don to stay lucky, get his fugitive… 

And, like someone rebounding on a tether, show up at Charlie's door on Easter morning, that shadow banished from his eyes. 


End file.
